Animefringe is pleased to present an interview with Curtis Lee the President
of the North American Manhwa distributor Curtis Comic (www.curtiscomic.com). Manhwa is a
term to describe Korean comics, much like manga being a term
used to describe Japanese comics.

Animefringe/Isaac Alexander: Can you give some personal information about
yourself and how you became interested in comics?

Curtis Comics/Curtis Lee: I was born in Korea and came to United States
when I was in high school. I've been really into
comic books since I was young. I was growing up
familiar with the American comic books like
Spiderman, Superman, Batman, etc.

AF: What do you think the North American
perception is of Manhwa?

CC: I don't think the majority of comic fans in
North America knows about manhwa yet since it's
pretty new. However, the reactions I have
received from people who know or read manhwa is
pretty positive and hot.

AF: What made you decide to start Curtis Comic?

CC: I started Curtis comic to introduce quality
Korean Manhwa to many comic lovers. Also, I would
like to spread manhwa in North America as well
asother parts of the world.

AF: Are you self funded, or do you have a
corporate parent?

CC: Yes, I am self funded.

AF: Where are your comic artists and writers
located (Korea or North America)?

CC: All the artists and writers are currently in
Korea and I am planning to invite some of them to
Comic-Con (San Diego) next year.

AF: Do you license the titles directly with the
artist/writers, or publishers?

CC: I have copyrights from the publishers.

AF: What publishers do you license your titles
from? Are the titles you are selling available in
Korea or Japan?

CC: All of our titles are available in Korea. Some
of titles are still continuing back in my home
country.

AF: Any thoughts about doing a compilation
publication such as Animerica Extra or Super
Manga Blast of your titles?

CC: I don't have immediate plan to do compilation
publications right now. We'll possibly release
them in the future.

AF: You've chosen to release titles from a variety
of genre's (Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery,
Science Fiction, and Sports). What led you to
this decision?

CC: Each person has different taste. I thought it
would be nice to have a variety of genres of
comics. For example, Into The Storm is
about car racing and
Extreme
is about inline skating. I thought these titles
would grab people's attention who like those
sorts of titles.

AF: What titles are your favorites?

CC: I like all of them. If I had to pick my
favorites then they would be
PSI, Slasher,
and Into The Storm.

AF: What is the difference in your opinion between
manga and manhwa other than what countries each
come from? Do you plan to market your comics
differently than manga?

CC: They are similar but since they are from
different cultures, they both create different
themes and stories. I tried to pick different
types of works from manga.

AF: Do you plan to release your comics in a
graphic novel format? What is the time frame for
this?

CC: I plan to do graphic novels sometime in next
year.

AF: What are your thoughts of other manhwa titles
being picked up such as Ragnarok from TOKYOPOP?

CC: When someone picks up a title from TOKYOPOP
in my opinion, they will think it's manga that
they have purchased. Isn't Tokyo the capital of
Japan after all?

AF: Are you aware of any other companies that have
released manhwa in North America?

CC: So far I think TOKYOPOP is the only one.

AF: Would you consider licensing manga as well as
manhwa?

CC: I have it mentioned on my website that I will
specialize in manhwa only. I might make more
money if I do manga as well but that's not what I
want.

AF: Do you plan to have your comics sold in places
other than comic book retailers?

CC: Only retailers will sell my comic books.

AF: Do you plan to release any other products
other then manhwa (Korean Animation, toys, models,
etc..)?

CC: I will do animation, toys and models such as
action figures in the future.

AF: What public conventions and festivals do you
plan to attend to promote your company?

CC: I have been at Otakon convention,
Comic-Con (San Diego), and Dragon-Con so far. I
plan to attend Wizard-Con, Pittsburgh Comic-Con
and Comic-Con (San Diego) next year.

AF: Any last words you have for potential readers
of your titles?

CC: "WE MAKE YOU HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT MOOD
YOU'RE IN..." this is my company slogan and my
goal to you
readers.